Bikeability Learn to Ride

Over 100 children aged 5-6 years learned to ride a pedal bike last year on the Bikeability Learn to Ride sessions run by the My Journey Wokingham team.

The team of Bikeability instructors usually delivers Bikeability on-road training to 10 & 11 year olds in schools in Wokingham Borough but, thanks to a small Bikeability Plus grant from the Department for Transport, they have also been using their skills to teach beginners to cycle. The Learn to ride sessions are intended for children of school age who are unable to cycle or who are struggling to ride a bike with pedals. The children start off on a balance bike (a bike with no pedals) to gain confidence in balancing and then gliding with both feet off the ground and then they progress to riding their own pedal bike.

In the past year, the team have run after-school sessions at the FBC centre, Finchampstead and Summer holiday courses at Woodford Park in Woodley. Although the Bikeability Learn to ride grant was intended to train 85 children, the demand has been so great that 120 children have actually attended the sessions, with 107 of them successfully learning to ride a pedal bike after 2 sessions. This represents an 89% success rate!

A quote from a parent whose daughter attended the sessions recently is below:

“It was such an amazing and proud moment watching Ruby ride her bike without stabilisers for the first time after attending the Bikeability Learn to Ride sessions. The team were very supportive, positive and patient. They gave her the confidence and know how to complete one of life’s most important skills. I cannot thank you enough.” Lisa.